Automatic start-stop controller for textile manufacturing machines



y 14, 1957 E. J. SPENCER AUTOMATIC START-STOP CONTROLLER FOR TEXTILEMANUFACTURING MACHINES Flled May 20, 1952 I: m I Z I: I: I u a 1 a a 5 3.r M 3 3 I a WR w H #14 RE 3 EW Wu 7 INVENTOR EVER ETTE J. S PENCERCOPPER OXIDE F RECTIFIER ATTORNEY AUTOMATIC START-STOP CONTROLLER FORTEXTILE MANUFACTURING MACHINES Everette .1. Spencer, Rockford, N. C.,assignor to Gustave Miller, Washington, D. C.

Application May 20, 1952, Serial No. 288,933

8 Claims. (Cl. 28-51) This invention relates to improvements in textilemachinery, and more particularly to the provision of an automaticstart-stop controller for textile beamers and warp-- ers.

Heretofore, textile warpers have been provided with means forautomatically stopping the motion of the machine when a thread or end ofyarn cotton, silk, rayon, or the like, breaks or becomes slack. Suchstop-motion devices have included electrical devices for throwing a beltoff of a pulley, or for'throwing the machine out of gear. But no meanshave been provided to automatically restart a machine. This has beenobjectionable in that it has been necessary for an operator to go aroundto the back of the machine to mend or tie the thread or end of yarn, andthen return to the. front of the machine to start the machine manuallyby a mechanical foot pedal, or by an electrical push button.

it is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide means toautomatically restart a textile warper after a thread or end yarn hasbeen mended.

A further object is to provide a mechanism to automatically restart atextile warper without requiring the use of belt throwers, manuallycontrolled foot pedals, or push buttons.

A further object is to provide a fully automatic electrical control forstopping and starting a textile machine, which control is economical,saves time and man hours.

A further object is to provide an automatic stop and start device for atextile machine, which requires only one operator, who may be aconsiderable distance from the machine. All the operator has to do is totie the broken threads, and the machine starts up immediately.

A further object is to provide an automatic start and stop mechanismwhich can be applied to existing warpers with slight alterations.

These and other objects are attained by the novel construction andarrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and illustratedby the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an automatic start and stop deviceembodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagram of a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a diagram of another modified form of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, in Fig. l, the automatic starting andstopping control device for textile machines is shown to comprise aplurality of eye-switches on an electric eyeboard or electric drop-wires5, through the eyes of which the threads pass and hold said switches innormal open circuit position, allowing the threads or ends 6 to be woundon a beam 7 which is rotated by motor 8. The eye-switches or drop-wiresare metal and are connected in the direct current circuit including aswitch 9 and a relay 10.

An alternating current source of power 11, provides power at 220 or 110volts, which passes through a transformer l2, and a rectifier 13, whichmay be of the copnitcd States Patent per oxide type or the like, toprovide direct current at 6 to 8 volts.

The armature 14 of the relay is attached to an arm 15 connected to amercury switch 16, the contacts thereof being connected by flexiblewires 17 to a circuit 18 which includes the motor 8;

In operation, when a thread 6 breaks or becomes slack the respectiveeye-switch or drop wire 5 for that particular thread falls from. itsnormal position and across the.

direct current circuit, the drop-wire eye-switch being metal.

the direct current circuit and the relay- 10 is deenergized,

and mercury switch 16 is returned by a spring .19 to a position to closethe circuit18 and start. the motor 8.

From the above description it will be seen that there. has beenprovided. a simple device for not only stopping, the motion of a textilemachine, such as a warper or the like, when a thread or. the likebreaks, but to also automatically restart the machine as soon as thethread or the like, has been repaired. The device enables the eiiicient.and almost constant operation. of. the machine, which requires only oneoperator whose. duty is simply to repair broken threads. It isv obviousthat the device. can be readily applied to existing machines with veryfew alterations. 7

In Fig. 2 is shown a modified form of. the invention in whicheye-switches or drop-wires 20 are in a direct current circuit. includinga switch 21 and a rectifier '22 and a relay 23, which, when energizeddraws down an armature 2,4 normally held upward by a spring 25 to engagea contact 26 to complete the alternating current circuit 27 through amotor '28., When an eye-switch or. drop-wire drops due to breakage orslackage of thread as explained in connection with Fig.1, the relay 23becomes energized, the armature 24'is drawn down to open circuit 27 andstops. the motor 28. When the thread is repaired, the eye-switch ordrop-wire is raised by tension of the thread 6 of Fig. 1 into normalopen-circuit position which deenergizes relay 23, armature 24 is pulledup byspring 25 which closes circuit at contact .26 and the alternatingcurrent circuit 27 is automatically reclosed to start the motor 28.

In Fig. 3 is shown a further modification in which alternating currentonly .is used. In this modification, a step-down transformer 30 provideslow voltage current to a circuit including eye-switches or drop-wires31, a switch 32, a relay 33 having a plunger 34 provided with an arm 35connected to one end of a mercury switch 36 to tilt the latter to openan alternating current circuit 37 to stop motor 38 when a thread breaksor becomes slack. When the thread is repaired the tension of the threadraises the eye-switch or drop-wire 31 back into position or opencircuitwhich deenergizes relay 33, a spring 39 returns switch 36 to a positionto close the circuit 37 and automatically restart the motor 38.

The above description is to be considered as illustrative and notlimitative of the invention of which modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in theappended claims.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is:

1.An automatic stop and start control for a textile manufacturingmachine operating with a plurality of threads which are normally intension and unbroken, said control comprising a thread controlled stopand start switch for each thread, each switch being held in ma- PatentedMay'14, 1957 V. 3 l chine operating position by its thread whileunbroken and in proper tension, the breaking or loosening of its threadmoving said switch to machine stopping position, and the tieing andretensioning of said thread automatically moving said switch to machineoperating position, each said thread-control switch being in an electriccircuit including a relay having an armature, a mercury switch connectedto said armature, an alternating current circuit normally closed by saidmercury switch, a machine operating motor controlled by said alternatingcurrent circuit to move said threads, said motor being thereby stoppedwhen a thread breaks or slackens as its controlled switch meansenergizes said relay to tilt the mercury switch to open the alternatingcurrent circuit, and means toautomatically return the mercury switch toits normal machine operating position to close the alternating currentcircuit when the thread has been repaired or tightened;

2. A automatic stop and start control for a textile manufacturingmachine operating with a plurality of threads which are normally intension and unbroken, said control'comprising a threadcontrolled stopand start switch for each thread, each switch being held in machineoperating position by its thread while unbroken and in proper tension,the breaking or loosening of its thread moving said switch to machinestopping position, and the tieing and retensioning of said threadautomatically moving said switch to machine restarting position, acircuit including said thread-controlled switch and a relay, saidcircuit being closed when a thread breaks or slackens to cause itscontrolled switch means to energize said relay, a motor for operatingsaid machine, means controlled by the energization of the relay to opena circuit through the motor to stop the machine, and for closing thecircuit through the motor when the thread is repaired or tightened toautomatically start the machine.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2 further characterized by a mercuryswitch controlled by the relay to open the circuit through the motorwhen a thread breaks.

4. The structure set forth in claim 3 further characterized by saidmeans for closing the circuit through the motor when the thread isrepaired or tightened comprising a spring connected to the mercuryswitch.

5. In a textile manufacturing machine, a plurality of thread-controlledswitch means through which the threads of the textile machine pass andhold said switch means in machine operating position, an electriccircuit including said switch means and a relay, a second electriccircuit including a machine operating motor and a switch, meansconnected to said latter switch and relay to move said latter switch toa position to open said second circuit when a thread breaks or slackensto allow its controlled switch means to close the first circuit toenergize the by the thread when repaired or tightened to return saidlatter switch automatically to a position to close the second circuitand restart said motor.

6. In a textile manufacturing machine moving a plurality of threads, aplurality of eye-switches held in machine operating position by tautthreads extending therethrough, said eye-switches being in an electriccircuit including a relay having an armature, a mercury switch connectedto said armature, an alternating current circuit normally closed by saidmercury switch, a machine operating motor controlled by said alternatingcurrent circuit to move said threads, said motor being stopped when athread breaks or becomes slack to its eye-switch I to energize the relayto tilt the mercury switch to open the alternating current circuit andstop said motor, and means actuated by the repair or tensioning of thethread repositioning the eye-switch to automatically return the mercuryswitch to its normal position to close the alternating current circuitand restart the motor.

. pairing or tightening the thread for closing the circuit through themotor 'to automatically start the machine.

8. In a textile manufacturing machine, a plurality of drop-wireeye-switches through the eyes of which the threads pass, an electriccircuit including said eye-switches and a relay, a second electriccircuit including a machine operating motor and a switch, meansconnected to said switch and relay to move the switch to a position toopen said second circuit and stop said motor when a thread breaks orslackens to allow the eye-switch to drop and close the first circuit toenergize the relay, and means relay, said thread-controlled switch meansbeing actuated actuated by raising the eye-switch by repairing ortightening the thread to return the switch automatically to a positionto close second circuit and start the motor again.

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES'PATENTSColman Sept. 11, 1917 2,390,799 Linscnmeyer Dec. 11, 1945 2,400,556Lambach May 21, 1946 2,405,218 Lambach Aug. 6, 1946 2,569,442 AndersonOct. 2, 1951 2,569,475 Klein Oct. 2, 1951 2,689,393 Duryee Sept. 21,1954

